Search - Eve's Bayou [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 03/25/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 48 mins Studio: Lions Gate Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Melodrama, Childhood Drama See Also: Eve's Bayou [Widescreen Signature Series]

A young girl learns some difficult lessons about truth, love, and fidelity in this critically-acclaimed Southern gothic drama. Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett) is a ten-year-old girl whose father Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) is a successful and well-liked doctor in an African-American community in Louisiana. Louis is a good father and an excellent provider, but he also has a way of attracting the ladies, and he's not inclined to turn them away. One night, the Batistes hold a party, and Eve, her older sister Cisely (Meagan Good), and their mother Roz (Lynn Whitfield) all notice that Louis is spending a great deal of time dancing with the same woman. Eve later spies her father and the woman in an embrace in the carriage house, though Louis unconvincingly claims that nothing untoward was happening. The evidence of Louis' infidelity takes a toll on the entire family: Cisely, who at age 14 is walking the middle-ground between being a girl and a woman, becomes sullen and confused about her new emotions, Roz takes out her frustrations on her loved ones, and Eve visits Elzora (Diahann Carroll), a voodoo priestess, looking for advice and possibly revenge. Meanwhile, Eve's Aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), who claims to have psychic powers, arrives to stay with the family after the death of her third husband, though she isn't lonely for long after meeting the eccentric Julien Greyraven (Vondie Curtis-Hall). Eve's Bayou was the first project as writer-director for actress Kasi Lemmons; leading man Samuel L. Jackson also co-produced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Jurnee Smollett - Eve Batiste
Meagan Good - Cisely Batiste
Samuel L. Jackson - Louis Batiste
Lynn Whitfield - Roz Batiste
Debbi Morgan - Mozelle Batiste Delacroix

Trimark's DVD release of =Eve's Bayou, the directorial debut of Kasi Lemmons starring Samuel L. Jackson, is a fantastic product. The main menu provides a plethora of selections. There is a commentary by Lemmons, producer Caldecot Chubb, the director of photography, and the film's editor. There is the original theatrical trailer as well as an evocative MCA soundtrack presentation featuring artist Erika Badu. There is a short film by Lemmons, Dr. Hugo, with similar Southern settings as the feature, as well as the obligatory scene access and language/subtitle selections. The filmographies of Lemmons and the main players are thorough and informative.
The widescreen image is beautiful, with a detailed dimensional quality to it. The deep colors of the South, with a predominance of shadows, are given a great treatment here. There is no evidence of blurred lines. The 5:1 Dolby Digital Sound is vital to the film, as the soundtrack plays a major role in creating the film's distinctive ambience. Trimark has done a fine job giving the audience an appreciation for all the elements needed to produce a film of this quality. ~ Marsha Mehran, All Movie Guide